STARKVILLE — Mississippi State junior defensive end A.J. Jefferson will be looked to as a leader this season, but he will lead his way.
Jefferson is one of six returning lettermen on the defensive line who will try to help the Bulldogs make up for the graduation losses of Preston Smith, Kaleb Eulls, P.J. Jones, and Curtis Virges. Fans will get to see his unique leadership style at 9 p.m. Saturday, when MSU plays Southern Mississippi in the season opener for both teams in Hattiesburg. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the game live.
“He’s (defensive line coach David Turner) always telling me, ’47, you’ve got to bring some juice and energy to the group,’ ” Jefferson said. “That’s just my personality. I’m just a goofy guy, and I love to laugh and play. He knows once I go out there, I love playing football, so I’m going to make it fun for everybody.
“I don’t think it’s more of a difference. I feel myself having to be more of a vocal leader this year with Kaleb, P.J., and Preston gone.”
Along with Jefferson, Turner has six other juniors and a senior (defensive end Ryan Brown) up front. After losing four key contributors, there are plenty of leadership opportunities for Jefferson.
“A.J. loves football,” Turner said. “It’s obvious by the way he attacks it. Every day is the same. He works hard and he gets better.”
Last season, Smith often was the first player people talked about when they discussed the Bulldogs’ offensive line. He began his senior season with three-straight Southeastern Conference Defensive Lineman of the Week awards and finished with 15 tackles for loss and nine sacks. The Washington Redskins used the 38th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft to add him to their roster.
Brown, Eulls, Jones, and Virges also played significant roles, but Jefferson held his own with 28 tackles (seven for loss), two and a half sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
“He’s kind of sneaky good,” Turner said. “He got better on me last year and he was doing things and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s A.J.’ Everybody obviously remembers Preston, but A.J. did some really good things last year. I think it started about midway through the season and he started to figure it out and he works at it.”
Jefferson has played in all 26 games the past two seasons but has drawn a start. However, the Summit native hasn’t rested on his laurels. After making 20 tackles (four for loss) and having two sacks as a freshman in 2013, Jefferson showed he was ready to do more last season. After the 2014 campaign, he worked hard to improve his pass rushing.
“I feel like as far as me trying to stay on the edges, it’s not running right down the man,” Jefferson said. “I feel like I made big strides with that.”
To improve that aspect of his game, Jefferson watched Brown and junior college transfer Johnathan Calvin throughout spring practices and offseason workouts. Calvin played defensive end for two seasons at Copiah-Lincoln Community College and was ranked the fifth-best junior college defensive end in the country by Rivals.com before joining the Bulldogs in January. He finished last season with 46 tackles and 5.5 sacks.
“Everybody has something they’re good at,” Jefferson said. “I think I’m a good counter rusher. Johnathan Calvin, he’s a good speed rusher. Sometimes he doesn’t even let the tackle get the outside hand on him. It’s him running, getting to the spot and dipping. (It’s) pretty much watching those guys, trying to copy them, and stealing what I can from them.”
Follow Dispatch sports writer Ben Wait on Twitter @bcwait
Ben Wait reports on Mississippi State University sports for The Dispatch.
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